Ryanair, which has become Europe’s largest airline, is implementing a policy of only allowing electronic boarding passes, warning passengers to have them ready on cellphones before coming to the gate.
That policy has gotten pushback from passenger groups and others, especially on behalf of passengers who may not have smartphones or may not be tech-savvy. Now the pushback is also coming from government authority, with Portugal telling the airline it can’t do that.
A statement from ANAC, the Portuguese Civil Aviation Authority “has informed the airline in question [Ryanair] that it must effectively refrain from any behavior that prevents the boarding of passengers with confirmed reservations on a flight (and check-in completed), due to the fact that they do not have a digital boarding pass.” It also warned the airline not to impose fees for obtaining and using paper boarding passes.
It’s not Portugal’s first time around with Ryanair; the airline is also fighting the government over what it says is unfair treatment and fees at Portuguese airports, over Portuguese court rulings on baggage charges and failure to pay required employee holiday bonuses.
